Broadway Box Office Takes an Estimated $8.5 Million Hurricane Hit

Every Broadway show took a financial beating thanks to Hurricane Sandy and its aftermath, with the musical “Nice Work If You Can Get It” and the play “Grace” suffering most — each down 50 per cent at the box office from the week before. All told, Broadway shows lost roughly $8.5 million in ticket sales due to cancelled performances, a calculation based on comparing box office grosses during Sandy and the equivalent period last year, according to a spokeswoman for the Broadway League, a trade association of theater owners and producers.

For the week ending Nov. 4, Broadway ticket sales were down $6.5 million from the previous week, for a gross of $13.6 million. Ticket sales were also lost on Sunday Oct. 28 due to performance cancellations as Sandy approached. The League spokeswoman noted that Broadway’s losses due to cancellations were greater from Hurricane Irene, which took place during a weekend in a relatively busy summer season in 2011. Sixty-six performances were cancelled as a result of Irene, compared to 48 for Sandy.